About Us

Kairos-Milwaukie UCC seeks to create a community where participants can experience intellectual and spiritual excitement; a spirit of openness and acceptance, as well as love and laughter. We are a community where evangelism is in partnership with social justice; where personal spiritual growth and concern for the poor and disenfranchised go hand in hand; where nurture and action are two sides of the same coin; where love for tradition and a sense of urgency about the future are integrally linked. We are a community of faithful people who have known the joy of having been loved, accepted and affirmed by God. We are a community that celebrates our diversity as a way to understand and respond to the inclusiveness of God's love and the wideness of God's mercy.

Mission Statement

The mission of Kairos-Milwaukie United Church of Christ is to worship God and to share the teachings of Jesus Christ, to provide for the physical and spiritual needs of each other, and to advocate for peace and justice throughout the world.

Rich History, New Beginnings

Milwaukie United Church of Christ

The Milwaukie Congregational UCC had its beginnings in the 1890’s when the Ardenwald neighborhood of Milwaukie, Oregon was known as Willsburg, and the entire area was covered with woods. With a grant from the Congregational Church Building Society, and the proceeds from one farmer’s entire crop of strawberries, ground was broken, dreams were planted and building began.

Today, over a century later many dreams have been planted and taken root, including friendship, support and resettlement assistance for over twenty refugee families from Cambodia and Viet Nam. The establishment of the Logus Road Preschool, which has nurtured families for over 25 years. More recently Swan House, an adult foster care facility for persons living with HIV, and Madrona House (formerly Longbourn House), a residence for drug affected women with children were built. Both homes operate adjacent to the church grounds on property donated by the congregation.

Kairos United Church of Christ

Kairos UCC was founded in 1984. From the basement of the Lewis and Clark Chapel, to the gym at the Franciscan Renewal Center, this nomadic congregation has been deeply committed to living the gospel in word and deed through ministries with the homeless, street youth, drug-affected men and women, and mission support to people and programs in Nicaragua, Cuba and Guatemala.

By Rev. Rick Skidmore

As a favor to a friend I agreed to meet with a young woman who was feeling conflicted about attending the marriage celebration of a lesbian couple. What does the Bible say about this? Does God sanction this type of ceremony? This woman was earnestly trying to find answers and had been to visit several other ministers around town. As we sat down together the woman began, “Now before we get into my specific situation, I need to know, what does your Church believe?”

The hardest questions can be deceptively simple. You would think that as a religious professional I could deftly field this most basic query. I tried to keep my answer brief and said something to the effect, “Well we believe in the teachings of Jesus; compassion, acceptance, tolerance, and the freedom to use both our minds and hearts in our search for God.” Thud. Everything I said seemed to leave out more than it took in. The woman left, still conflicted, and I started feeling depressed.

Pastor

Rev. Jeanne Randall-Bodman...

... is “passionate about responding to God’s call to help create a world that is curious, compassionate, generous, joyful, and free.” Jeanne has a commitment and love of pastoral care, and a passion for social justice issues. She studied at Union Theological Seminary and the University of Virginia. She has taught undergraduate courses in Women and Religion and American Religious History at the University of Colorado. She comes to us after 10 years serving Cedar Hills United Church of Christ as Director of Children's Education/Youth Minister and Pastor for Children, Youth and Family Ministries.

Email: jeanne [at] kairosucc.org

Pastor Emeritus

Rev. Rick Skidmore...

... after 30-plus years of pastoral leadership in churches large and small, Rick retired as Pastor of Kairos-Milwaukie United Church of Christ at the end October 2015. Rick is a graduate of Boston’s Andover Newton Theological Seminary, and a former Merrill Fellow at Harvard Divinity School.

Music Director

Ian Timmons...

...is a gifted vocalist and student of opera at Portland State University, where he has appeared in various opera productions. He is also among the alumni of the internationally acclaimed and award-wining PSU Chamber Choir.

Office Administrator

Ethelyn Pankratz...

... has served as volunteer, part-time office administrator/secretary for our church for about 13 years. Her interests and commitments include Christian Education, the Congregational Care Team, and choir. She was formerly Executive Director of Cetana Educational Foundation, supporting educational programs for students from Burma/Myanmar. She retired from that position in 2009, and now serves on the Cetana Board of Trustees. Ethelyn previously served for ten years as Administrator of Providence Child Center for severely impaired, medically fragile children, which includes a residential skilled nursing facility and related services. From 1975 to 1989 Ethelyn served as the Executive Director of Multnomah Association for Retarded Citizens, and from 2002-2005 as Deputy Director of Oregon Partnership, a non-profit drug and alcohol resource program.

Web Site Administrator

Lee Burleson...

... is our volunteer manager/administrator of the Kairos-Milwaukie UCC website, Facebook, Google+ and overall "internet presence." He has a background in the hospitality industry, office administration for environmental consulting firms, and most recently working with data systems in local government social services. Lee also has over 10 years experience helping create websites for small businesses and community service organizations, primarily as a hobby.